AUTHOR'S . . . . UMMMMMM . . . RANT . . . -'
OK, to those who say that I'm ripping off the manwah story for my own. I had and have no intention of mimicking any of Lee's works. The attack on Morroc was a coincidence, so was the attack on the Assassin's Guild. And if you think that I used the manwah's story to make this . . . I'm gonna ask a friend of mine to hex you and turn you into a rat with a pig's snout and a rooster's tail cackles insanely
And oh, by the way . . . WAAAAA! THE KISSING SCENES! THE KISSING SCENES! STOP ME PLEASE! I DON'T WANT THIS FIC TO TURN TO A ROMANCE! I WANT MY ANGST TO SHOW NOT MY LONELY STATE OF MIND!
ragnar clears throat well, it has to happen I guess. I mean, from the way this story went, there's bound to be an event like that . . . I suppose.
Hey, if any of you know a pretty girl who lives in Bacolod City, could you introduce me? (Tell me if she also has a sister) Me like pretty girls! Me like pretty girls! I have been taken over by my "yuri-shotakon" tendencies (as told by Byakko) . . . ignore that last part . . . grins weirdly
Anyway, enjoy the fic.
(What you just read was the result of too much coffee and too much beer being drunk in the same day. Whatever reactions you may have regarding that last rant would only fall into deaf ears and bleary eyes – most probably caused by the most nauseating hangover being experienced by the author . . . at the moment.)
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RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC
Version 2
TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATEBy: RAGNAR (that really is my name)
Chapter 29: The Pain of LossIt's has been three months since they arrived in Prontera with the refugees from Alberta. Three months since Marus and both Fateless left them in the dead of night without giving any reason. Three months closer to the war Skuld has warned them about.
The city walls were filled with the noise of construction. Hammers pounded on nail and wood as massive weapons were constructed for the defense of Prontera. Knights, Crusaders, and regular soldiers alike went by the thousands onto the outside plains and fields to practice and train their skills.
Elonis placed himself in charge of the construction and the development of weapons. He was, after all, one the only few Blacksmiths available for the job because almost all other members of the Guild were recalled to Geffen for some weapons project the city was conducting.
King Tristran IV, for some reason, had believed Meshido's claims from the first word. He told the now-reinstalled Priest, that a couple of friends of theirs had already done the convincing for them.
How Sodos and Degedos did that, Meshido didn't want to know.
In fact, Meshido thought that it would be best if Sodos' name was not to be mentioned in front of Freya for a while – or anything that reminds her of him for that matter. The last time they did that, the girl went into such an uncontrollable rage that Kevin had to knock her unconscious again. Unconsciously, Meshido fingered a half-healed burn on his chest and winced. A few days ago, he could have sworn it was his heart he was trying to keep from falling off his ribcage. If another Priest hasn't come to Heal him on the spot, Meshido would have been dead within three seconds after hitting the ground.
The Demon Keys . . .
The three keys to Sei'Gash's prison, so Mae had once told them. If they were unleashed, then the demon would be a very fine addition to this already explosive mix.
If he wasn't mistaken, he already has seen one of them. Jarade's hatred towards the Keeper was proof enough of that.
And that woman clothed in blood . . . if she is a Key, then that would leave only one more. But who?
Mara . . .
Meshido fought back tears by squeezing his eyes shut and tried to feel the breeze on the Sanctuary's balcony. He's becoming scatterbrained again. Mara is dead and there is nothing he can do about it. She hasn't given herself for a blood pact with the Church. It was her choice not to come back to life, but still . . .
Meshido tried not to throw up when he saw the torn up remains of his friend and the blasted body of the High Priest.
Meshido tried to shake away the memory. But it already started to form in his mind. The image of Mara being wrapped in burial cloth before she was to be laid to rest. It didn't take long for the Church to find out that Ruven was actually a doppelganger. How they were infiltrated, or how the real Ruven was killed, still eluded them.
The hinges threatened to crack loose from the stone when Meshido kicked the door open. The guards behind him tried to pull him back from the sight but they only succeeded in tearing up his clothes.
When he finally managed to pull away the cloth covering her body, what he saw churned his stomach. A massive gap lay on her chest. The organs visible were long rotting away as if she was out in the open for too long.
He tried to pull his eyes away – to banish the sight from his mind. Thankfully, a guard was successful in getting him out of the room.
"Condolences for the loss of your friend, Meshido." Kevin appeared besides him. The Crusader was fully armored and armed. The man seems to be wearing his battle gear more often as of late.
"Am I that transparent?"
"Not exactly . . . you're just that obvious."
He was not in the mood for jokes. "I need to be alone, Kevin. Please?"
Kevin sighed, "Alright. But remember, you've still got friends who know how you feel. If you haven't noticed, everyone in our little party has lost something dear."
The Crusader was right in that. Meshido heard the sound of the man's boots trail away behind him.
Elonis lost Alberta, Freya lost Kareel, Kevin has yet to find his cousin, and just a few days ago, before Meshido saw Mara on that table, Monique saw the shaken refugees and what was left of the obliterated army of Payon.
She was inconsolable no matter what Meshido tried to do to comfort her pain.
Yes, Kevin was right in that. All of them have suffered loss. No wonder they came together, he thought bitterly.
Standing alone on the balcony and clutching the ruby necklace, Meshido let the pain of his loss wash over him . . . and let if fly away with the wind. Along with his memories of Mara's smile.
-
An arrow hit the bull's eye immediately followed by another one right behind it. The second arrow split the first one clean in half.
Monique kept firing her arrows on the hay bale with a painted target. Every shot made the bull's eye. Every arrow making a shaft shot if not landing an inch away from the center of the target.
It was her way to deal, really. She tried to focus as she drew the last arrow. The target became larger to her eyes as the wooden bow creaked when she pulled the string. All the other arrows that riddled the red dot in the middle disappeared in her mind. There was only the target.
She loosed the arrow.
Monique didn't bother to look if it hit the bull's eye. She already knew.
Turning around, she found herself looking at Elonis. The Blacksmith was sitting on a stool next to a table under a shed, drawing the schematics for a weapon he was planning to build. At the same time, the man was arguing with one of the foremen building the balistas now mounting the city and castle walls.
From what she overheard, Monique figured it was just about the price of building the defences.
"You can't be serious about mounting two balistas to a tower and one for every yard on the walls! It's insane!"
"It pays to be sure Har."
"Sure?" the foreman practically squealed. "I know that the King himself put you in charge, but if we go with your plans, the city's economy will be ruined!"
Elonis just calmly looked at the man and said, "Would you rather your head be stuck on a pike?"
That put Har on a stuttering fit. After a few hurried and murmured apologies, the foreman went back to the walls.
Monique walked closer. "You handled that pretty well."
Elonis looked up from his drawing. There were black circles under his eyes from staying up all night again. "Monique." The tiredness in his eyes was emphasized with the guilt he laced with his voice. "I – I didn't notice you."
The guilt sparked some anger in her. It wasn't his fault that Payon fell. If there was anything to blame, it was because the falcon they sent didn't get there in time.
Instead of berating him for the stupid oaf that he is, however, Monique joked. "No wonder you didn't notice me, your eyelids must be weighing a ton each by the looks of it. You should get some sleep, Elonis. I'm sure the foremen and their builders can handle a few hours without you."
Elonis hesitantly let go of his drawing and placed a rock on the paper to keep it from flying away. "I . . . I guess you're right."
"Come on, you big lug, I'll help you into your room."
Monique opened the door to the house the shed was leaning on. It was just a small house, meant for short visits to the city. Monique remembered Elonis once saying that he sometimes conducted business here. She figured that the house was his, if not rented from someone.
The house was a four-room structure. There was the living room, the bedroom, a kitchen, and a small spot where Elonis probably kept his less transportable wares during his stay here.
Elonis practically staggered into the house before Monique walked in. When she closed the door, Elonis spoke. "Monique, I'm really sorry for what I did. If only – if only we had found a place to sneak through that army . . . if only – "
Monique's slap was hard enough that it echoed within the small house. "Don't you dare blame yourself, Elonis Grey-Heart! You made the right call to come here directly! You didn't know the undead were already attacking Payon! And you certainly are no fool! So stop acting like one!"
Elonis' hurt look made it even worse. "But –"
She didn't give him the chance to degrade himself even further. She reached out, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, pulled him close and kissed him. It wasn't exactly a gentle kiss, though. For one thing, it was just so he would shut up. And he didn't shave, for another.
When she pulled out, the look on his face was confused . . . of all things. "Wh – what?" deep blue eyes regarded her with perplexity.
"You are not a fool, Elonis." She said breathily. How long since she last kissed him? From what she felt at the moment, maybe too long. Monique pulled Elonis back in and kissed him once more. It still wasn't gentle, but it sufficed for what happened next.
The door to the bedroom slammed open. Elonis was leaning over, kissing her neck as he undid the buttons to her jacket. Monique reached behind him trying to pull up his shirt.
She didn't know what happened next, but they tripped and fell to the floor before they even reached the bed. Then, tired of trying to pull up Elonis' shirt over his head, she settled with ripping it open.
Monique wasn't certain if this would only be for a few minutes or it might take the whole day. But one thing was for sure . . . she was not going to let Elonis go, no matter what.
-
"I SAID TO MOVE IT TO THE RIGHT YOU BONE-HEADED IDIOTS!" Kevin roared when on of the cranes dropped a balista on the street. The siege weapon showered all of them with splintered wood when it crashed. The thing was supposed to mount one of the higher towers and since it was made for long-range defence, it was definitely larger than the ordinary type of balista. Still shouting curses that would give a hardened stableman pause, Kevin proceeded to berating the idiot who just made this day worse.
Great, I have a moron moving enormous crossbows all day.
Kevin put it on himself, or rather, had the task suddenly on his shoulders, to supervise the construction of the city's defenses. He understood that the Blacksmith was tired and all, but when the man gave Kevin the responsibility, it was pretty obvious he was trying to hide a naked woman behind that door. Judging by the thick brown, longer-than-shoulder-length hair, it must have been Monique.
A gap between the gathered crowds showed a short figure in black robes. The hood was up, but Kevin could have sworn it was Michelle.
Unable to resist, Kevin went towards the place where he saw the figure standing. Looking around, he saw black cloth swirl around an alley. His armor was heavy, but he ran as fast as he can anyway.
The alley was long and ended with a brick wall. Walking slowly along the alleyway, Kevin reached that wall. The place was empty and there were no doors to mark an exit.
"Hello Crusader."
The demonic voice made Kevin reflexively pull out his sword as he whirled around to swing his weapon.
But before he could even complete the turn, he found himself looking at Michelle's brown-eyed stare. Kevin lowered the sword and sighed with relief. Months of worrying over her condition must have addled his brain. "You're safe . . . Thank the gods, you're safe!"
As he tried to embrace her, however, Michelle was no longer there and Kevin staggered forward in surprise.
Another voice called to him to the right. "So there are still a few fools out there who took the Pact of Immortality."
Kevin turned towards the voice. It was Jarade – no, Priega.
The demon's katars snapped out. The ring of steel echoed upon the narrow alley.
How dare he use Michelle to taunt him! "Damn you!" Kevin screamed and charged.
With all his might, he brought down his sword to cleave the thing's head in half. All Priega did, though, was cross his blades to block Kevin's blow. As soon as his sword hit the katar's blades, Kevin let the weapon bounce. He readjusted his sword's position and stabbed for the demon's chest.
Priega's crossed katars prevented the demon from seeing Kevin's last move. The sword slammed home with the sound of crunching bone and tearing flesh.
Priega gasped and tried to back away from Kevin's impaling blade. The demon's fingers clawed at Kevin's sword in an attempt to push away, only in succeeding to cut them off.
However, before Kevin even thought he had won, Priega grinned at him. Pitch black eyes regarded him with hilarity. Blood flowed down his mouth all the way to his chin and on the floor. "Really, do you think you've actually won?"
Kevin had only a moment's surprise before his back felt absolutely cold. And after that, pain.
-
Meshido walked down the street finding something to occupy his mind. Here and there, he saw ranks of soldiers heading for the training grounds, some Merchants trading their wares, and a few other things. The city was noisy today, the noise of hammering, sawing, and shouting dominated Prontera.
Then, when he turned a corner, he heard an extremely loud crash, like thunder, followed by a familiar screaming voice. "I SAID TO MOVE IT TO THE RIGHT YOU BONE-HEADED IDIOTS!" As always, Meshido winced at Kevin's language. Mild as it was to what the Crusader usually spews out, it was still foul to Meshido's ears.
Maybe it might be good if he tried talking to a friend. So, Meshido headed for the area where he heard that crash and Kevin's cursing. After pushing through the crowds for a few minutes – fifteen actually – an explosion ripped the sides of two building apart. Ice and fire blended together with dust and rock showering the now screaming crowd of civilians.
The people scattered like quail. Some tried to bring some of the injured with them.
Another explosion rocked the street before Kevin went flying from the alley where the blast came from. Well, whatever was left of him, actually. His right leg was a broken and torn mass of flesh and bone, chunks of armor flew away from him revealing cuts and burns that ran deep to his ribs, his left forearm was missing.
Kevin's blood splattered all over the street when fell then trailed behind him when he rolled on for a good three feet away. The man was groaning in an attempt to get up. Blood squirted from the stump that was his left arm at the effort. Incredibly, he had a death grip on the sword he was trying to lean on.
That was when he saw Priega walk out of the alleyway. His katars retracted to reveal bludy stumps that where once fingers. Dust and smoke swirled in his footsteps. A grin that rivaled Degedos' split the demon's face.
Meshido readied his staff while casting a Heal spell on Kevin. The man's bleeding didn't stop, but at least it slowed. There wasn't much he can do about the Crusader's missing limbs at the moment though.
He charged, Holy Light heating the wood, making it white-hot.
Screaming, Meshido stabbed with his staff with the Holy Light spell flashing forward. Priega sidestepped and the spell hit the building behind the demon. With a roaring crash, the building collapsed, filling the street and air with dust.
Unable to see, yet able to hear, Meshido ducked to avoid the katar's blade that was meant to ram through his skull. Meshido fired another Holy Light spell at the direction of where the attack came from. A loud boom from a distance told him that he missed.
He heard steel singing behind him. Meshido quickly pivoted and blocked the katar with his staff. Sparks showered to the ground when the steel hit his enchanted wood. While the katar was still lodged to his staff, Meshido released yet another Holy Light spell straight to Priega's face.
Priega dodged to the right and stabbed with his left katar. Meshido brought up his staff and parried the attack. Whirling it to gather force, he struck the demon hard enough at the side of the neck that Meshido practically heard bones snapping.
The dust was settling when Priega staggered backward from Meshido's move. The damage caused by their fight was evident. The roof of a building on one side of the street collapsed into the structure while the building itself was beginning to crumble inwards. Another from the opposite side of the street lay in a pile of rubble.
Meshido charged another Holy Light spell into his staff and concentrated all of its energy onto one end. He invested the spell with all his remaining energy, making the wood shine like a second sun.
He was about to spear the stunned demon with the now burning hot staff when he suddenly realized that his feet were rooted to the ground – by ice.
A short woman in black robes appeared besides Priega, how she did that without Meshido seeing her, he didn't know. The robe's cowl was up, covering the upper part of the woman's face, but there was something familiar about those lips.
"You truly are a gifted Servant . . . Meshido, was it?" now he understood. It wasn't a woman after all. It was a young girl in those black robes. Despite that all-too-mature laughter, there was no hiding the fact of her youth when her hands appeared to cover her mouth. Strange, from the angle her face was tilted up on, the light should show him what she looked like.
The ice slowly crept its way up his legs. The freezing cold drained away all sensation. "Too bad you have to die now. Let's just wish one of your colleagues comes along." She laughed again, only mockingly this time.
She noticed the Crusader, still struggling to keep steady while casting an imperfect Heal spell on himself. Kevin grunted with the effort he exerted.
Laughing, the woman reached into her robes and pulled out a small cloth sack. It was dripping some red substance from the bottom. Laughing still, she threw it towards Kevin. In midair, the string somehow fell off. When the sack hit the ground, whatever was in it rolled out.
Even at this distance, Meshido still recognized what it was.
It was Michelle's head ripped out of her body. Part of the upper spine still clung to the gruesome sight as it rolled on until it stopped right next to the Crusaders feet.
Even when the ice was slowly making its way up his waist, Meshido felt a pang of sorrow for Kevin. Michelle was the only family the man had left. And now, she's dead.
Kevin's armor and sword was rattling. The Crusader was visibly shaking. Bloodshot green eyes burned with rage. The bleeding all over his body abruptly stopped. "Damn you." Broken bones snapped together as the man's legs fixed themselves and flesh slowly closed over his injuries. More bone appeared from the stump of his left arm, steadily forming into a new limb. "Damn you!"
Kevin took a step.
Kevin no! Meshido tried to cry out, but his lungs were frozen over.
"I'm going to kill you." heat radiated from the Crusader. The air shimmered from all the raw energy Kevin had summoned. His left arm, though skinless and only partially covered by muscle, rose to grip his sword along with his right.
Paving stones cracked and turned to powder beneath Kevin's every step. Weeds that long hid beneath the street grew and withered beneath his feet as if they lived their whole lives in a second. His arm was fully recovered now.
"YOU FUCKING BASTARDS! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!"
With that, Kevin charged.
The ice was already inching its way up Meshido's neck. It was so cold. So cold.
Before the woman could make a turn to the side, Kevin drove his sword straight through her gut. And before Priega could even react, Kevin pushed on and drove the blade through him as well, impaling both demons.
With a wordless roar, Kevin cast the Grand Cross spell.
Four balls of light shot out from Kevin in four directions and disappeared into the distance. Meshido's ice cage shattered from some unseen and unfelt force. Meshido fell onto all fours gasping for air and dripping wet.
The ground shook. The world shook from the power of Kevin's spell. Meshido had only a second to see and feel absolute silence while everything felt to be floating on air.
Bright white light engulfed everything in his sight. A thunderous roar that dwarfed the loudest thunder filled his hearing. The force of the explosion ripped through Meshido's body tearing off parts of his robes.
He can only see the silhouettes of Kevin and the two demons fade away in the light.
He also saw a huge plank of wood coming his way.
For an instant, he clearly noticed the shock and terror on Kevin's face when the man saw that the female demon . . . bore Michelle's face.
-
The pillar of light that is the Grand Cross spell reached its dissipated in the afternoon sky, leaving behind a large circular hole on the canopy of clouds. And even though Priega and Seva were on a hill two miles from the walls of Prontera, they can still feel the immensity of the Crusader's power.
Priega chuckled wryly by himself. The Crusader was a worthwhile diversion after all . . . not to mention that tricking the man into killing himself was a wise move. Suicide was something that Resurrection was unable to take back. Not to mention, the man's power would have been their undoing. That Grand Cross spell alone would have been enough to destroy him and Seva both. Of course, that can only be true since Sei'Gash was still not around.
From what he gathered, Kieria was out there . . . most likely trying to . . . extract the Master from his fleshy cage. Though why she would even bother puzzle Priega. If she wanted Raidi, why not just take him? It's not like Sei'Gash would mind. Women were so . . . odd, even those of his kind.
But then, that oddity added to the features that produced their exotic beauty.
Damn you, you sadistic shit! Why did you bring the girl into this?
Irritated, Priega banished the Assassin's thoughts into the darkest recesses of his mind. He has to do something about that, the Assassin would pose a problem, if not a threat if ignored for too long.
"Is there something amiss, Priega?" Seva touched his arm. Pain shot through his flesh, but it was not exactly real and he ignored it. The injuries sustained by their illusions conjured by Seva were simply reflected in their real bodies, after all.
Priega stroked the girl's hair and smiled. Deep brown eyes regarded him with affection as she clung to his arm.
Irritating as it was, some of the Assassin's . . . tastes . . . have rubbed off on him. Apparently, the man had some liking for thirteen-year-old Acolytes. He didn't mind really. The man's preferences in girls was quite unique . . . exhilaratingly so. Even better since it was Seva in that tight little body.
"No, Seva, I was just wondering about something."
"Wondering what?"
Smiling, Priega just bent down, pulled the girl closer to him, and kissed her.
It didn't take long for that black robe of hers to fall on the grass.
-
Ragnar grins maniacally like I said . . . I'm a self-proclaimed sicko .
Due to insistent public demand, I'm going to write a "flashback chapter" a.k.a. a summary episode. You might see one of those in some animé out there, like that episode in Gundam Seed where their captain was typing a report on Kira and the Strike, for example.
Also, this fic is now somewhere around 75 complete. Big thanks to all those who stood up to my ranting, whining, and begging all these months. Also, the same thanks goes to all those who criticized me, giving me the chance to improve this story. Lastly, a ton of applause to those guys who were actually able to keep up with the character confusion in this story.
Again, thanks for making "Transgressions of Fate: Design in Chaos" a work that I can be proud of.